1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery differs from a primary battery in that it may be repeatedly charged and discharged while the latter is not usually recharged. Rechargeable batteries are often utilized in various high-tech fields. For example, low-capacity rechargeable batteries are used in small portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, and camcorders, while large-capacity rechargeable batteries are widely used as a power source for driving a motor of a hybrid vehicle or the like, and/or as a power storage battery.
Rechargeable batteries may be manufactured to have a variety of shapes, for example, cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch shapes.
Cylindrical rechargeable batteries have a characteristic of securing relatively higher energy density than rechargeable batteries having the same volume but different shapes, but due to the cylindrical structure, when desired to configure a module by connecting respective unit batteries in series and/or in parallel, cylindrical rechargeable batteries may have relatively decreased spatial efficiency compared to rechargeable batteries with different shapes.
In addition, because a battery module generally includes a cell barrier and the like for cooling the batteries to prevent heating of each unit battery, it may be relatively more difficult to attach such cooling means to lateral sides of a unit battery having a cylindrical structure, because of the curved structure.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only to enhance the understanding of the background of the disclosure, and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute prior art.